Ahmed Ferhani, 27, was arrested in May 2011, marking the end of an eight-month undercover operation by New York police officers.

According to the defendant's guilty plea and documents filed in court, between October 2010 and May 2011, Ferhani conspired to bomb synagogues and churches in Manhattan to send a message of violence to non-Muslims, including Americans, Christians, and Jews.

Ferhani pleaded guilty to multiple criminal counts of weapons possession, terrorism, conspiracy and a hate crime, District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement.

Tuesday's plea marks the first time a terrorist has been convicted on state terror charges since the New York anti-terror laws were passed shortly after September 11, 2001. Terrorism cases are typically tried in Federal court.

Ferhani is expected to be sentenced on January 30, and he could face life behind bars without the possibility of parole.